Killer Diller Jumpin' Jive!

William & Maeva at Lindy Shock 2010 in Budapest

2010-11-12T01:34:00.009-05:00

William and Maeva seem to be better known in Europe than here in the states. They do all types of swing dancing, but are best known for Boogie Woogie, which is also more popular in Europe than on this side of the pond. I've never understood this, since Boogie Woogie is the quintessential American dance from the Rock & Roll era. It grew out of East Coast Swing and Lindy Hop, but the footwork is different and is very bouncy in appearance.

This first video is from Lindy Shock 2010 which was held just a few days ago in Budapest. William and Maeva start off with some twenties Charleston to a song from the Muppets (!) and then do some Lindy-Boogie Woogie to some classic rock and roll from the fifties...

If that wasn't enough William and Maeva for you, then check them out in this video doing some more standard Boogie Woogie style dancing...

AVS 2010 Advanced Jack & Jill Prelims

2010-11-04T15:31:00.000-04:00

Here for your viewing pleasure is a video I shot at The Atlanta Varsity Showdown a few weeks ago...

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

2010-07-21T12:32:00.000-04:00

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, which tells the story of a trumpeter who is drafted into the army during World War II and brings some swing to the troops with his jazzed-up version of reveille, is one of the most recognizable tunes from the swing-era and is ranked as #6 on the RIAA's Songs Of The Century. The song was written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince and was actually recorded nearly a year before the United States entered World War II. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy has been recorded by many different performers over the years, but by far the most popular and well-known version is that of the Andrews Sisters. Click the image below to download it from iTunes...

Here is a very enjoyable video of lindy hoppers at the Sydney Jitterbug Championships in Sydney, Australia performing to the Andrews Sisters version. I love the musicality of the he-goes-she-goes turn at 01:00 as well as the slap and coquettish strutting at 01:22...

There are other versions as well, such as the one by former Benny Goodman drummer, Gene Krupa:

There is also a classic Walter Lance cartoon based on the song, which if you ignore the racial stereotyping, is quite funny and has some terrific jazz trumpet improvisation...

Free Swing Music Downloads

2010-06-24T13:51:00.004-04:00

This is awesome! I stumbled on a source for free downloads of 1920-30's jazz/swing recordings taken from old 78s. Click here to check it out:

Audio Archive

This is a searchable database and provides the music in streaming format for previewing or as a mp3 download. Take a listen to this Johnny Dodds recording of Bull Fiddle Blues...

Bull Fiddle Blues

If you want to save this song to your computer, all you have to do is right click the player and save the file. You may have to rename it with mp3 as the file type.

Clap Your Hands On The Afterbeat

2010-06-23T00:54:00.002-04:00

Here is another video from the Russian Open Championship Of Swing Dance 2010. In this one the competitors are dancing to Bob Chester's "Clap Your Hands On The Afterbeat." It took me a while to figure out what this song was. And then I discovered that it's not available from iTunes. So I googled it and found a link where you can download it for free from abMp3.
Click Here to Download The Song For Free

Mr. Red Shirt Has Some Sweet Moves!

2010-06-22T14:11:00.002-04:00

Hey guys! Sorry for being away so long! Hopefully I can resume normal postings now.

Yesterday I stumbled on 120 videos from the Russian Open Championship of Swing Dance 2010. There are many great short clips in this Youtube Channel's collection. Here is one to wet your appetite. I really like the cross-hands push-pull move at 00:32. I will post more from this event soon...

I'm not sure what this song is. If anyone knows, leave a comment...

Who Stole The Lock? Todd Yannacone and Naomi Uyama

2009-12-12T01:26:00.000-05:00

This is a really fun routine done to a great song. It is Henry Red Allen's "Who Stole The Lock (On The Henhouse Door)?" Todd Yannacone and Naomi Uyama are the dancers. I love the energy and amazing footwork of this one! Check out the 20's Charleston at 01:19.

If you love this song like I do, click the iTunes link to download it. The link will ask permission to open your iTunes program and then it will take you to the album...

Max Pitruzzella And Alice Mei

2009-11-13T12:44:00.000-05:00

Max Pitruzzella and Alice Mei are two of my favorite lindy hoppers. Here are a few videos to show you why. The first is social dancing at a live Reynolds Brothers Rhythm Rascals performance of Yes Sir! That's My Baby Now!

I can't find a recording of this particular version, so here is an original 1920's Coon-Sanders recording that I like...

Watch closely... there are lots of cool moves you can steal from this video.

This second video is a choreographed routine done to an exciting version of Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen. It starts slow, but just trust me, it really takes off at 01:25. Can any of my readers identify the artist of this version? I tried every version on iTunes that was close to 5 minutes in length with no luck.

Learn To Dance The Charleston

2009-10-24T15:25:00.005-04:00

Today, we will be learning how to dance the Charleston, but first I would like to say that Google/Youtube is freaking sneaky! I have been wondering what the music on a particular video was for several months. Finally after more than an hour of researching and listening to early Louis Armstrong songs on iTunes, I figured out that it is the Sugar Foot Strut, recorded June 28, 1928 when Louis was with his Hot Five. I commented about this on the video last night and now lo and behold today, there is an automatic link to iTunes and Amazon at the bottom of the video! Google must have software that recognizes when someone is discussing a song title or artist in a video comment. I'm very impressed, but a little miffed that they will now be profiting from my hard work... I should send them a research/consulting fee.

Anyways to give you a little taste of what solo Charleston looks like, here is the very talented, Eve, otherwise known as "twentythreeskidoo" doing a solo Charleston demonstration between classes to Louis Armstrong's Sugar Foot Strut. I highly recommend watching some of her other Charleston videos, such as this one: Blue Orchid. When you're finished, continue reading below to learn more about the Charleston and how to dance it yourself!
Sugar Foot Strut is a really sweet Charleston song. If you like it you can click the iTunes link below to download it. Your browser will request to open your iTunes program. After your iTunes program opens to the 4-CD album, scroll all the way down to Track 6 on the last CD...

The Charleston, named for Charleston, SC began in 1923 as an African American dance, but today is mainly associated with white flapper women who danced and drank together in speakeasies during the days of prohibition. In the 1930's, Charleston developed into Lindy Charleston, also known as Savoy Charleston and Swing Charleston and then Lindy Hop, the Charleston breakaway becoming the now famous Lindy Swing Out. Here is a unique video showing the evolution of Charleston into Lindy Hop:

Would you like to learn to dance Solo Charleston? Let Eve from the earlier video show you how its done...

Once you get the solo footwork down, you will be ready for the type of Partner Charleston used in Lindy Hop. This isn't really explanatory, but all the basic moves are preformed slowly:

If you can learn that, then after a few more years of practice you might be ready for the big leagues: Lindy Partner Charleston Competition...

AVS 2009 Jack & Jill

2009-10-21T00:52:00.000-04:00

Well, I just finished a long weekend of classes and dances at The Atlanta Varsity Showdown 2009. I shot some video of the Jack & Jill competition too. Enjoy!

Lumby by Charlie Barnet - Peter Strom & Nina Gilkenson

2009-10-13T19:50:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Hot Jam's DJ's-Extraordinaire Jim Wheatley and Tonia Davis, I now know the name of the song from that Lindy On The Rocks video of Peter Strom and Nina Gilkenson that I liked so much. Recorded sometime between 1940-45, it is Lumby by Charlie Barnet. If you click the iTunes link, your browser will boot up your iTunes program, go straight to the song and then let you preview and/or download it...

And here, once again, is the great video of Peter and Nina's Invite dance at Lindy On The Rocks 2009. I love how Nina tilts her hips perfectly in time with the piano at 00:07 as well as the playful High-Five gag that Peter pulls off just afterwards...

Little Gate's Special by Bunny Berigan

2009-10-06T15:56:00.000-04:00

I presented this video to you a few weeks ago (it was one of my favorites from Lindy On The Rocks 2009). And now I know the name of the song. A big Thank You goes out to kelspar21 on Youtube who identified it as Little Gate's Special by Bunny Berigan.
Rowland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan was a fantastic jazz trumpeter, who's career was cut short by alcoholism when he was only 33. He played with Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller before forming his own band in 1937. The famous drummer, Buddy Rich got his start in Berigan's band. Unfortunately, the stress of leading a band drove Berigan to drink even heavier. In 1940 he filed for bankruptcy and was soon diagnosed with cirhossis of the liver. His doctor advised him to stop drinking and stop playing the trumpet, but Bunny could do neither one. He moved to NY where he died from a massive hemorrhage on May 30, 1942.

Here is Bunny Berigan's performance of Little Gate's Special on iTunes...

Charlie Barnett also has a great version...

I'm not a fan of the Artie Shaw rendition, but if you like your swing slower...

And here, once again is the video of Mike Roberts and Karen Turman at Lindy On The Rocks 2009 dancing to Bunny Berigan's Little Gate's Special. Be sure to watch for Karen's swivel trick on the third send out at 00:27 where she passes her left leg behind her right leg. Sweet!

Roll 'Em - Benny Goodman

2009-09-28T02:07:00.000-04:00

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra made an appearance in the 1942 film The Powers Girl which features a great scene of guys and gals swing dancing during a rain storm to Benny's rendition of "Roll 'Em."

You can preview/download a pretty kickin' live version from iTunes here...

If you want something even faster, try the Cootie Williams version...

And here is the swing dancing scene from The Powers Girl:

Lindy Hop Madness!

2009-09-23T19:08:00.000-04:00

They're upside down, they're spinning 'round and 'round, they're flying through the air, they're even being launched into the audience! Its lindy hop madness during the second jam, last year at ILHC 2008! Live music provided by the Boilermaker Jazz Band:

Twenty-Four Robbers by Fats Waller

2009-09-08T00:50:00.002-04:00

Fats Waller was born in 1904. The son of a preacher, he began playing the piano at 6-years old and the organ in his father's church by age 10. When he was eighteen he recorded his first piano solos. By 1926, his stride piano style had made him so famous that he was kidnapped by 4 men at gunpoint and taken to a house where he turned out to be the "special guest" at Al Capone's birthday party! He supposedly played for 3 days and received thousands of dollars in tips from Capone and other birthday revelers. Waller died of pneumonia in 1943.

Twenty-Four Robbers is currently one of my favorite "fun" swing songs (they're all fun, but this one is especially so, thanks to Waller's bouncy stride rhythm and entertaining lyrics):

Last night, the night before,
Twenty-four robbers came to my door,
Opened the door and let them in,
I hit em in the head with a bottle of gin!
Just can't understand
Twenty-four robbers fighting one man,
One of them took the silverware,
It wasn't very good, so I really don't care.
I'm gonna warn you,
I'll tell you what to do,
You better lock your door,
Or the robber men might come back again.
I can't sleep anymore,
Put a big chair right by my front door,
Bought a shotgun and stood it there,
To keep those robbers out of my hair.

If you didn't get enough of Frida Segerdahl yesterday here she is in two videos with Skye Humphries dancing to one of my favorite songs right now, Fats Waller's Twenty-Four Robbers. The choreography is similar in both videos, but some of the styling is different and the camera angles are of course different. Enjoy!

Download Twenty-Four Robbers by Fats Waller from iTunes here:

Frida Segerdahl Does It With Charleston Style

2009-09-07T02:53:00.001-04:00

Here is another of my favorite lindy ladies, the irrepressible Frida Segerdahl. In this recent video from ILHC 2009, she is dancing Lindy with a Charleston flair with Mickey Pedroza. By the way, this is my favorite type of music to swing dance to. Its easier to hear the bouncy beat in the older music from the early 20's and 30's and as you can see in this clip, the Lindy-Charleston styling is a lot of fun! I hope I can pick some of this up at AVS next month...

Some AMAZING Lindy Hop!

2009-09-06T01:31:00.000-04:00

These are the finals from the International Lindy Hop Championship 2009. If you can think of anyone who is famous in the lindy world, they're probably in this video. Something I've noticed lately is that video quality on Youtube is getting much better. Put this one into HD and then go full screen and you will be amazed!

Andy Reid and Nina Gilkenson

2009-09-05T02:22:00.000-04:00

Andy is one of my favorite leads. He always looks really smooth. And of course we all know by now that I think Nina is the Queen Of The Swivel! I'm not familiar with this song. Any takers?

New Videos from Lindy On The Rocks 2009!

2009-08-31T15:54:00.004-04:00

I haven't had time to post anything the last few days, so to make up for it, here are several brand new videos of some of America's top lindy instructors, filmed at Lindy On The Rocks 2009 in Denver, Colorado just two weeks ago!

In this first video, Andy Reid and Naomi Uyama, are dancing to Flying Home by Lionel Hampton. He made several recordings of this early 1940's hit, so I'm not sure which version this is, but here is one I like:

In the next video, Joe Demers and Laura Keat, are dancing to Big John's Special. It sounds like Fletcher Henderson's version to me.

Mike Roberts and Karen Turman. This is my favorite of the 6 videos. I'm not familiar with this song, but I like it. By the way, I like that little kick that Karen does during her swivels starting at 00:19 as well as the bouncy crossover-behind-the-leg (I don't know what it's called, I just made that up!) on the third send out swivel.

Peter Strom and Nina Gilkenson, really having some playful fun in this next video! OK, people I need help identifying this tune as well.

The song that Kenny and Jo are dancing to in this next video is Whoa Babe, by The Casa Loma Orchestra, not the more famous version by Lionel Hampton as you would expect.

And this music is being provided live by the band in the video. Not sure what the tune is, but it is a nice fast Charleston number to finish up the night with...

An Introduction To Balboa

2009-08-26T01:59:00.006-04:00

The unique swing dancing style known as Balboa got its start on the Balboa Peninsula of southern California during the 1920's, although it wasn't until the 1930's that it was famous enough to be named. There are several different theories as to what dance it developed from, Foxtrot, Charleston, and Collegiate Shag all being named as possibilities. But the reason for the dance's unique movements was that the ballrooms were very crowded and lindy-type spins and swing outs were impossible or even outright forbidden on the dance floor. So the dancers had to learn to dance in tight quarters, and so originated Balboa, recognizable by the close "chest-to-chest" contact of the dancers (which is never broken) and its shuffling foot movements. To make things even more confusing, there are two types of Balboa, the original pure form of the dance and a hybrid which combines elements of Balboa with the spins and swing outs, known as Bal-Swing. Pure Balboa is not very visually interesting, because nothing really changes except for the foot patterns, so many people today do Bal-Swing, but they may still refer to it simply as Bal.
First up in the videos are the first place winners at the All Balboa Weekend 2008, Mickey Fortanasce and Kelly Arsenault, dancing to Stampede by Fletcher Henderson. As always, if you like the song, you can click the iTunes link below to download it...

And last but not least, we have the First Place Winners of the NYC Weekend Dance Competition, Paul Saulter and Jen Scricco,dancing Bal to Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing."

Well Git It! Two Unusual Swing Moves

2009-08-24T01:49:00.001-04:00

This video was a lot of fun to watch. Its not "full-speed-ahead" Lindy Hop; its more of a medium tempo... but there are some nice styling ideas in this choreographed presentation. More importantly, I really like the he-goes-she-goes spin variation, just after the sugar push at 1:13. I'm not familiar with the song and I couldn't identify it with Tunatic either. Can anyone name this one for us?

Speaking of cool things to do from a sugar push, here is another unusual move that I found last week. Watch for it just after 00:26. I must have paused and rewound this about 20 times last week until I finally figured it out. Then I tried it on the dance floor later and it worked great! Several of my partners told me they really liked this move as well. The best advice I can give leads wanting to try this, is to make it very clear that you are pulling with your right hand to lead your partner around your body or she will think you want her to spin, which isn't the idea. The audio quality is really bad on this video, but at least I can tell you the name of the song for this one. It is "Well, Git It!" by Tommy Dorsey...

Louis Jordan's Caldonia Played By Six-Year Old Frank "Sugar Chile" Robinson

2009-08-23T02:26:00.008-04:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about Louis Jordan's great jump blues song Caldonia.

http://killerdillerjumpinjive.blogspot.com/2009/07/jump-blues-caldonia-by-louis-jordan.html

Well a few nights ago I stumbled on this video of a six-year old, Frank "Sugar Chile" Robinson, playing boogie woogie piano and singing Caldonia. Apparently, this kid could bang out Erskine Hawkins' "Tuxedo Junction" when he was two years old! By the time he was eleven, he was touring around the world. And then his career, like that of so many child stars, suddenly ended, until he was rediscovered almost 50 years later and brought out of retirement at a pre-Motown music festival in Detroit.

If you would like to download either version for your own music collection, here is Louis Jordan's original recording....

And young Frankie's version:

Here is the amazing video of six-year old Frank "Sugar Chile" Robinson singing Caldonia:

And Louis Jordan in a 1950's music video of Caldonia (this is "live," so it is slightly different than the recording on the iTunes link I provided:

Nina Gilkenson Working The Swivels

2009-08-21T03:55:00.004-04:00

Its Double Video Friday again...

Man! Can Nina Gilkenson work those swivels or what? Here she is with Marty Klempner. The music is "All The Cats Join In" by Benny Goodman. You can download this classic from iTunes or by it on CD from Amazon here:

Disney made a weird little cartoon (with vocals too) out of Benny's song in 1946. It features some fine period cartoon lindy hopping starting at 3:37:

Lindy Barrel Rolls

2009-08-17T16:40:00.003-04:00

Its Monday lesson time. I like this barrel roll with an extra spin. Good stuff...

Solomon Douglas Swingtet, Casa Loma Stomp and A Jam Circle

2009-08-16T17:51:00.007-04:00

Swing dancer and band leader, Solomon Douglas and his Solomon Douglas Swingtet, will be performing live at the Georgia Tech Dance Association's swing dance in Atlanta on Friday September 25, 2009. They also have a new album, Live At The Legion, which you can listen to on iTunes:

Here is a cool video of a jam circle breaking out at their performance of the Casa Loma Stomp at 2008's Big Big Event. Check out the couple at 1:02 and the musician's solos beginning at 1:39...